Tag Archive: Joy Division

During his time as weekend editor here, one of the consistently most popular features Brian Shields would run was the What We’re Really Listening To column, which would ask either Heavy Blog staff or musicians to share the music they’ve been jamming the most recently. We’ve decided that it was too fun an idea to not continue, so we’re picking up where he left off. It should come as no surprise that we at HBIH are constantly listening to music, and as an effort to recommend as many quality tunes as possible, here is a glimpse into what has been dominating our playlists for the past week.

For those that would like to participate as well (and please do) can drop a 3X3 in the comments, which can be made with tapmusic.net through your last.fm account, or create it manually with topsters.net.

Head past the jump to see which records have been receiving regular rotation on our headphones, stereos and turntables:

Hello, hello and welcome to the eighth (!!!) part in our ongoing series of Heavy Blog Is Heavy’s “Best Of” selections where we explore a genre of music and each of our dedicated authors picks a favorite album to share a personal experience with. As has become the norm for now, we break away from genre limitations once again to explore a different group of albums. This time, we explore a tricky feat to pull off: an excellent debut album.

Often times, debut albums fall into two categories: either they are not mature enough and leave a sense of disappointment after they’re done or they are amazingly well performed, forever setting the bar high for whatever band released them. Many a debut album spelled the birth and death of a band, as all future releases would always be compared to that original, majestic iteration. That being said, there are plenty debut albums who have launched successful careers, laying the first stone in the path of a band’s career. Which is which on the list below? That is for each of you to say. Let’s get started!

It’s no secret that post-black metal relies heavily upon New Wave music from the 80’s. Listening to many of these so-called blackgaze bands that Niege (Alcest, Amesoeurs) has graced or inspired, you can hear bits of The Cure or Joy Division pop through. Lantlos mastermind Markus Siegenhort decided it was time to just take the sound back to its roots and call it a day apparently, as his new side project LowCityRain is straight-up New Wave, with nary a trace of black metal in sight.

Nachtmystium have a habit of mixing things up when you least expect it — their transformation from traditional, earthy black metal to a blackened sound more at home in the vast emptiness of space is well documented. Both of the Black Meddle collection were well panned and praised by large sections of the metal community, meaning they succeeded in doing what a lot of groups fail to do in this day and age — get people’s attention. So instead, new track ‘As Made‘ finds the band taking a hard left turn down into the grisly industrial world of Ministry through the use of a robotic rhythm section and extensive electronic effects, it’s not known whether the band will continue this sound as it will be released as a two track EP alongside a cover of a Joy Division track but I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing them take this route in the future. The ever knowledgeable Invisible Oranges has the stream, so check it out!